Newspaper Page Text
HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
City to crack down on code violations
By RAY LIGHTNER
Journal Staff Writer
The Warner Robins City
Council is working to clean
up the city.
The council has changed
the city code to stop repeat
code violations and is work
ing of redevelopment plan
for slum and blighted areas.
“It’s the same thing, the
same violator, over and over
again,” said Mayor Donald
Walker about the repeat
offenders.
“Currently,” explained
Councilman Doug McDowell,
“once the case is cleared up
it’s closed.”
For example if the city gets
a complaint about a junk car
or tall grass in the yard,
the resident has 10 days to
resolve it - to move the car
or cut the grass.
They are given time for
corrective action, McDowell
f__ ( 0 f o , '
t. f is If- . |V
\ ftj
i » 8 s|f 1
h * ■ f|||| H
Submitted
Centerville firefighter Chad Kahley is presented Firefighter of the Year. Pictured:
Mayor Harold “Bubba” Edwards, Assistant Fire Chief Jason Jones and Kahley.
. ,f;Jg % , s
M A -i'jT j ? ■ ■ I Tfir’SsS
*-. y „,■ .- *■— -£,* F*T
SMf.. s&&',, r% 'BTS jg |Sa»gapp«BM«BßaM«a^^
jm&r3tk- ifcJpf ■ I J
// m V ~JHL faraWIIlMMMil
u ** ■ i / \*tV* I
i ■ ■yflp!vl |1 Jaggl* L. *4 J„ ' 4 §'%* 'V-j
ijait mu iiiiiimM
; . . : : Jig 4 -^gpl
V, '' ,r - ‘ I k |||||B 'mt&L - "ifeV
Submitted
Centerville presents officer Joey Harnist with Police Officer of the third quarter.
Pictured: Edwards, Police Chief Ernie Pardo and Harnist.
ARRESTS
From page zA
Bonaire, was found at
Hunicutt s residence and
arrested following the raid
on six counts of enter
ing automobiles and one
count of theft by deception.
The one began with around
eight incident reports
Monday morning from
over the weekend involving
vehicles being entered and
items being taken. Several
car CD players, car ampli
fiers, speakers, and other
items had been taken along
with bank, debit and credit
cards, explained Cpl. James
Williams with the Houston
said, before the city takes
action and issues a ticket or
fine.
If they take corrective
action, there is no fine and
the case is closed. But the
whole process starts over
with the next complaint.
With the change in the
code, code enforcement or
police, are now authorized
to issue citations for subse
quent violations without the
requirement of additional
notice or the opportunity to
cure.
“This stops a new case,”
McDowell said. “It will be
a continuation of the old
case.”
According to city code,
which is not new, it’s illegal
to store old cars, scrap parts
of cars, old appliances and
other such items on any resi
dential lot.
The term “old cars” is
defined as any car inopera
Honoring public service
County Sheriff s Office
Criminal Investigation
Division, lead investigator
in the case.
The first entering auto
mobile case was report
ed Friday night in the
Southfield Plantation area
off of Thompson Mill Road
in Bonaire where the sus
pects shattered a window
and a purse was taken from
the vehicle. Another theft
also occurred in the area
of Southfield Plantation
during the same timeframe
where a battery charger
was stolen from a driveway.
The other incidents occurred
Sunday night in the area
of Peach Blossom Road and
the west end of Feagin Mill
ble because of missing parts,
and any car without a cur
rent tag.
The fine is up to SI,OOO
and/or up to a year in jail,
and if the city has to come
clean it up, the owner is
billed for cleanup costs, plus
a SIOO administrative fee,
due in 30 days.
The city also narrowed
down the initial area for its
redevelopment plan with a
focus on two words - slum
and blight.
The definition includes
dilapidated and high crime
areas and the area so desig
nated includes Tabor Drive
and Ignico Drive. The area
of east Davis Drive, Tabor to
Ignico to 247 meets the state
criteria.
“Crime in the area is defi
nitely a factor,” Walker said.
“We must have 200 apart
ments without doors or win
dows over there.”
Road. Six victims report
ed their vehicles had been
entered and had items taken,
Williams said. Some were by
forcing the door and win
dows open while in others the
vehicles were left unsecured.
Williams credited the
Patrol Division for gather
ing information on suspects.
Hunnicutt was stopped in
traffic stop Sunday night by
Dep. Chad Weldon. Williams
said that stop helped in iden
tifying the second suspect,
Kahley, who was inside the
vehicle with Hunnicutt.
Both were released
from the traffic stop and
not charged at the time.
Monday an arrest warrant
was issued on Hunnicutt for
LOCAL
The city is in negotiations
with the banks on some of
the properties in foreclosure
including a burned out apart
ment building. “Priority
number one, “Walker said,
“is the demolition of the
burned out apartments.”
The city will be able
to appoint and use the
Redevelopment Authority
“as soon as you get enact
ment and the authority cre
ated by the mayor and coun
cil to create that animal,”
said Ralph Nix, chairman of
the Middle Georgia Regional
Development Center, which
along with the state has to
sign off the plan.
One of about a dozen bids
the city council approved
Monday was for demolition
of 209 Tabor Drive.
Sacal Environment of
Macon was awarded $5,500
for the job.
Sacal is also the company
j
; jWU
fIU
Submitted
From left: Vann "Kool-Aid” Baxter (from Rome), Daryl “ Winkie” Perritt (Waycross Fire
Department), Jerry “Bubba” Harden (Rome) and Freddy “Higbee” Howell (Camden
County Fire Rescue) take a break from taking part recently in the National Fallen
Firefighters Memorial held in Maryland.
Firefighters take part in memorial
Special to the Journal
October was fire preven
tion month. During the first
weekend of the month some
special firefighters traded
in their turnout gear for
some greasepaint and wigs
and transformed them
selves into fire clowns.
According to a release,
their goal was simple - “to
put smiles on faces while
they ease the pain of loved
ones who have lost their
lives in the line of duty.”
While the first week of
October is usually directed
toward shows for young
sters, these clowns instead
traveled to Emmittsburg,
Maryland to participate
in the National Fallen
Firefighters Memorial.
Since 1982 the National
Fallen Firefighters
Foundation has recognized
fallen heroes who have sac
rificed their lives to perform
their duty.
In 2005 107 firefighters
died in the line of duty.
This year, eight fire clowns
attended the Memorial,
four from Georgia and
four from Texas. The
four from Georgia, Vann
“Kool-Aid” Baxter (Rome),
Jerry “Bubba” Harden
(Rome), Freddy “Higbee”
Howell (Camden County
Fire Rescue) and Daryl
“Winkie” Perritt (Waycross
Fire Department) are all
veteran instructors of the
most progressive fire pre-
violation of parole for a prior
burglary charge, He appar
ently hasn t learned his les
son, said Williams said.
The execution of that
warrant around 10:45 p.m.
Monday led to the arrest
of Kahley, who was at the
residence and agreed to talk
with investigators. It also
led to another warrant for
the search of Hunnicutt’s
car the next day.
The search of the vehi
cle turned up several items
inside the vehicle that linked
to the entering automo
biles, such as tools and the
gloves they wore, Williams
said. Most of the stolen
items were recovered at a
local pawnshop where Kahley
FRIDAY/SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 10-11, 2006 ♦
that demolished the old fur
niture store on Commercial
Circle. That site is expected
to be cleaned up in about
two weeks.
The city council also
approved the following bids:
• $190,000 from Pat’s
Pump & Blower in Forest
Park for a combination
sewer and cleaning truck
for the Utilities and Sewer
departments.
• $14,592 from Tools of
the Trade in Warner Robins
for duty jackets with pan
els for the Fire Department.
$37,467, the amount of the
reimbursement check from
Federal Emergency man
agement Agency for city
firefighters deployed to St.
Bernard Parish, La., was
transferred to the personal
protective clothing fund to
pay for the purchase.
• $8,606 from
Radiodetection of Bridgton,
jUBN/Bk i
wWiwr"jHmkSPp
. s file. h ■HIHaPSIIIB jhk
Submitted
From left: Baxter, Perritt, Harden and Howell in their
civilian attire.
vention education pro
gram, Alternative Teaching
Methods, which is taught
two times per year at the
Georgia Fire Academy.
During the memorial
weekend, they performed,
also according to the
release, “an immeasurable
duty as well by entertain
ing the families and help
ing the children with activi
ties designed to make them
laugh while they comfort
them in the face of their
loss.”
Although one of the main
projects the fire clowns
assisted with was the mak
ing of luminaries designed
to be lit at a special cere
mony by the families, jokes
and balloon sculptures were
usually the highlight of the
day.
“The weekend has
an impact on everyone
involved,” read the release.
“The fire clowns realize
that their primary role as
a firefighter puts them in
and Hunnicutt had pawned
them Monday afternoon.
Kahley remains in the
Houston County Detention
Center without bond. More
charges are pending on
both, Williams said, as the
investigation is ongoing.
Hunnicutt is wanted for
seven the felony arrest war
rants plus the violation of
parole.
He is described as a white
male 5-feet, 10-inches tall,
200 lbs., with brown hair
and hazel eyes. He resides
at 143 Pinewood Drive in
Bonaire.
Anyone with information
on Hunnicutt’s whereabouts
is asked to call Williams at
542-2085 or call 911.
Maine, for a pipeline map
ping kit for the Utilities
Department.
• $7,670 and $4,228 from
Ferguson Waterworks of
Macon for 18-inch steel cas
ing and for curb stops and
couplings, both for inven
tory.
• $6,996 from Middle
Georgia Computers of
Warner Robins for comput
ers for the Senior Citizens
Center. The funding comes
from a grant.
• $3,468fr0m Data Supplies
of Byron for data processing
supplies - 300,000 blue util
ity bills with changes.
• $3,017.24 from Stantec
Consulting Services of
Macon for technical review
services for Willingham
Woods subdivision.
• $2,590 from Jim’s Handi-
House of Warner Robins for
dugout covers for Fountain
Park.
danger every day, just like
these children’s loved ones.
“These clowns are acutely
aware of the consequences
of their jobs, which is why
they insist on coming back
every year to cheer up fami
lies and honor their fallen
heroes. Many children are
irreversibly changed by the
experience and some have
even become clowns as well.
Laughter is the best medi
cine.”
“We humbly honor those
firefighters who have gone
beyond the call of duty and
have given their lives to
save others. They have
made the ultimate sacrifice
for someone they may not
have even known. They
and their loved ones deserve
our utmost compassion and
respect.
“The hearts of four
Georgia fire clowns have
been made full by their
participation in this event
and they look forward to it
again next year.”
MONEY
From page zA
with conspiracy to traffic
in cocaine.
From there the inves
tigation led to the dealer
in Jacksonville, which led
to another seizure of cash
and drugs. Potter praised
the efforts of the Georgia
Bureau of Investigation
and the Douglas County
and Jacksonville, Fla.,
sheriff’s offices.
“We worked well with
the GBI. The GBI is a
great asset for us,” Potter
said.
Subscribe today
Call 987-1813
5B